New York — The opening statements are Set for Tuesday in Harvey Weinstein Rape of New York Retrialoffers a new jury their first look at the groundbreaking #MeToo case that remains unsolved nearly eight years after The former movie mogul was arrested.
Since Weinstein became a pioneer The target of the #MeToo movement Against sexual misconduct for nearly a decade, he was convicted of some sexual assault charges and acquitted of others in trials on two U.S. coasts. But the rape charge involving a 2013 encounter at a Manhattan hotel stuck because Conviction overturned followed by a Deadlocked jury.
Weinstein did He pleaded not guilty He denies having sex without his consent at all. he He said in court That winter, he was unfaithful to his then-wife and “acted out, but I never assaulted anyone.”
The jury, made up of seven men and five women, was selected over several days last week. Weinstein’s final jury in New York The majority were femalebut his first Most of them were male.
The current jurors were questioned about, among other things, their knowledge of Weinstein and whether they could be fair and impartial regardless of what they had heard.
Now a 73-year-old prisoner, Weinstein was once one of the most powerful people in Hollywood. An Oscar-winning producer and studio head, he helped bring such blockbusters as Pulp Fiction, Shakespeare in Love and Gangs of New York to theaters and the hit reality series Project Runway to television. He was also A A prominent Democratic donor.
for him The career collapsed In 2017, when decades-long Hollywood whispers about his behavior toward women turned into public accusations. In the news and Social media. Criminal charges followed in New York and Los Angeles.
The defendant in this trial, Jessica Mann, was a hairdresser hoping to break into the world of acting when she met Weinstein at a party in the Los Angeles area in late 2012 or early 2013.
she to attest That she was looking for a professional relationship but ended up, paradoxically, in a consensual relationship with the then-married Weinstein.
She said that during a trip to New York with a friend in March 2013, she arranged for them to have breakfast with Weinstein. According to Mann’s previous testimony, Weinstein eventually cornered her in a hotel room, ignored her protests of “I don’t want to do this,” demanded that she undress and grabbed her by the arms, and she surrendered because she “just wanted to get out.”
Weinstein’s former lawyers He confirmed that Mann continued to see himAccept invitations, seek professional help from him, and send him warm messages. I have Switch legal teams For this retrial, it remains to be seen how their approach might differ.
The trial is expected to take up to four weeks.